Biggest Plot Twists In The Yakuza Series

The Yakuza games are known for their iconic map and loads of substories, but mainly for their captivating storylines. These games have immersive narratives where, most of the time, players are watching cutscenes or exploring Kamurocho to witness the life of Kiryu Kazama and his comrades unfold.

Throughout the stories in Yakuza, there are a lot of twists and turns and massive plot twists that change the outcome of the story. There are a lot of plot twists, and naming every single one can cover pages, so instead, this list will cover some of the bigger ones in the story throughout the games.

Unsurprisingly, this list will feature major spoilers

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7 Yakuza 0 - The Relationship Between Tachibana and Makoto

Long-Lost Siblings That Never Managed To Reunite

Yakuza 0 is a game that came out after the launch of the first five installments in the series. The game focuses on the story of Kiryu Kazama and Goro Majima before their introduction in Yakuza 1. Kiryu Kazama meets Tachibana, while Goro Majima has to kill Makoto, which he ends up not doing.

As the story progresses, Kiryu finds out Oda has betrayed them and beats him in a fight. After that, the players are able to see a flashback scene where Oda is shocked to hear Tachibana calling Makoto her sister when she appears on the television. This scene catches many of the players by surprise, as most people are speculating at this point in this story, but their theory is confirmed.

However, a reunion never occurs between the two long-lost siblings as Tachibana is killed before Makoto can meet him.

6 Yakuza Kiwami 1 - Yumi Is Mizuki

Taking On An Alias To Hide

In Yakuza 1, Akira Nishikiyama kills Sohei Dojima, who is the leader of the Dojima family, in order to protect Yumi, his childhood friend. Kiryu, who is also Yumi's friend and sworn brother to Akira, decides to take the blame for the murder and spends ten years in prison. After coming out of prison, Kiryu finds out that Yumi is missing and finds a little girl, Haruka, who is looking for her mother, Mizuki.

As the story progresses, Kiryu protects Haruka and tries to find his mother, who might know where Yumi is. In Chapter 12, Kiryu and Haruka find out that the woman Kiryu is chasing and Haruka's mother is, in fact, the same person. Kazama created a fake identity for Yumi so that she could live as a different person.

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5 Yakuza 3 - Shintaro Kazama Has A Brother

Does Kiryu's Mentor Have A Twin Or A Doppelganger?

In Yakuza 3, Kiryu opens an orphanage and tries to live a normal life. However, the life of a Yakuza can never be simple, as Kiryu has to make his way back to Kamurocho. During Chapter 8, Kiryu makes his way to the Snake Flower Triad, who have taken Rikiya. As Kiryu is fighting Lau Ka Long, a person shoots Lau and tells Kiryu he has beautiful eyes. This person looks exactly like Shintaro Kazama, the mentor of Kiryu who died in Yakuza 1.

Kiryu is unable to understand why the person resembles his mentor, as are the players. In the next chapter, Defense Minister Tamiya tells Kiryu that the person on the roof was Joji Kazama, the brother of Shintaro Kazama, and is working for the CIA.

4 Yakuza 4 - Truth Behind Ueno Seiwa Hit

No One Could Have Expected The Rubber Bullets

Probably the most well-known event in the Yakuza games is the Ueno Seiwa Hit. As Taiga Saejima, the sworn brother of Goro Majima, is a playable character in Yakuza 4, players get to see his story. The Ueno Seiwa Hit appeared in the story of Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 4, which showed Saejima carrying multiple revolvers and killing around 16 Ueno Seiwa Clan.

Throughout the game, everyone believes this to be the case; however, in the latter chapters, Katsuragi reveals that the weapons provided to Saejima had rubber bullets in them, and no one was killed. He also reveals that he took out his own gun to kill all the Ueno Seiwa people. This plot twist is a major one in the story as players realize that Saejima was falsely charged and given the death penalty.

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3 Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life - Haruto's Father Revealed

Who Could Have Known The Father Was In Kiryu's Own Circle?

In Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, Kiryu returns to the orphanage after spending three years in prison and finds out that Haruka is missing. Kiryu later finds her infant son Haruto and makes it his mission to find out where Haruko is and who the father is. The rest of the game is spent in Hiroshima where Kiryu tries to find more clues but ends up in the conflict between the Tojo Clan, the Saio Triad, and the Jingweon Mafia.

Kiryu and the Hirose Family try to find Haruko through the chapters. At the end of chapter 9, Hirose reveals that the father of Haruto is none other than Yuta Usami. This comes as a shock to Kiryu and the rest of the Hirose Family, who had no idea.

2 Yakuza: Like A Dragon - The Coin Locker Mix-up

A Mix-up That Leads To Ichiban Being Raised As An Orphan

Throughout the entirety of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, players are kept in the dark about Kasuga Ichiban's parents and who they are. But in Chapter 14, after fighting Jo Sawashiro, players are shown the same Coin Locker cutscene, but this time from the perspective of Sawashiro.

The twist comes when it is revealed that there were two babies in the coin lockers, and Arasaka took Sawashiro's baby thinking the child was his. This confirms that the child Arasaka left behind was Ichiban, who was then raised at Shangri-La.

1 Like A Dragon: Ishin! - Takechi's Betrayal

Who Can You Trust If Not Your Sworn Brother?​​​

The story of Like A Dragon: Ishin follows the story of Sakamoto Ryoma, who flees to Kyo after being framed for a murder he did not commit. He leaves his sworn brother back in Tosa and makes his way to Kyo. Ryoma takes on the alias of Saito Hajime and focuses on finding the actual killer in Kyo. Throughout the chapters, Saito joins the Shinsengumi and fights against several powerful samurai and swordsmen.

During the latter half of the story, Ryoma finds out that his sworn brother, Takechi Hanpeita, faked his own death and is the person claiming to be Sakamoto Ryoma in order to have good ties with British arms dealers. This comes as a shocking point in the story as the game then starts to show Takechi as the main antagonist of the game.

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